Tiny homes make a big impression

Popularity in tiny homes across the U.S. has grown with the recent surge emerging from HGTV shows such as "Tiny House, Big Living" and "Tiny House Hunters." The Conroe and Montgomery-area is now seeing the effect of this trend, said Bill Mitchell, Texas Tiny Home Solutions owner.

Texas Tiny Home Solutions builds and sells customized tiny houses in Montgomery ranging in size from 400 to roughly 1,000 square feet. The company also sells homes smaller than 400 square feet that are purchased from a licensed manufacturer.

Mitchell said he noticed the increasing tiny-living "craze" in late 2016 from his business on Lake Conroe, Fisherman's Cove Resort. The resort already offered small cottages, but Mitchell rerouted his marketing toward tiny home buyers as the last handful of homes were completed.

Additionally, Mitchell's company launched a 41-acre tiny home community on Lake Conroe, north of FM 1097 off Longstreet Road in Bishop's Landing in Willis. Phase 1 of the community features over 100 ready-built and park-model Homes, which Mitchell hopes will be completed by spring 2018.

In the next three years, Mitchell expects all phases to be completed, totaling over 300 tiny homes, a basketball court, tennis court, miniature golfing and a swimming pool and waterslide. To accommodate demand, Texas Tiny Home Solutions is seeking licensing to manufacture tiny homes from a 30,000-square-foot factory in the Willis community, he said.

"I'm completely sold on [tiny homes]," Mitchell said. "It's a niche. [Tiny homes] are going to flourish in [similar] communities rather than assimilating into neighborhoods with larger houses."